Skirt-supporter.



UNITED STATES- PAT'ENT oEEIoE.

CHARLES P. KEELER. OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF MCRAE & KEELER, OF ATTLEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

' SKIRT-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

To 0,7/7/ whom/ it muy concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. KEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attleboro, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Skirt-Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This 4invention has reference to an improvement in skirt-supporters used for adjusting the length of a skirt when required and supporting the skirt in the adjusted position.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of a skirt-supporter, whereby the operations of securing the supporter to the skirt, adjusting the height of the skirt, and locking the supporter in the adjusted position are simplified.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a skirt-supporter having a hook attachment for securing the supporter to a belt or to the waistband of a skirt, means for adjustably securing the upper end of a chain to the attachment7 and a fastener secured to the lower end of the chain adapted to firmly secure the supporter to the skirt without injury to the skirt, as .will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a vertical edge view of my improved skirt-supporter, showing the supporter in the adjusted position attached to a part of a skirt and belt which-are shown in section. Fig. 2 is a face view of the hook attachment, showing the means for adjustably securing the chain to the attachment. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken lengthwise through the hook attachment. Fig. 4 is a face View of the fastener broken away from the lower end of the supporter; and Fig. 5 is an edge view of the fastener, showing the fastener closed in full lines and in the open position in broken lines. v

In the drawings, @indicates the hook attachment, l) the chain, and c the fastener, of my improved skirt -supporter. In Fig. 1 enough of the skirt d and belt e is shown in section to clearly show the skirt-supporter in its operative position on the skirt. The hook attachment a is stam ed from sheet metal and bent approximate y U-shaped to form the back a and the front a2. The back a is in the shape of an elongated down- Wardly-eXtending arm. The front a2 consists of the central arm a3, in which'is the circular hole a4 and the slot a5, extending downwardfrom the hole, and the two inwardlybent outside arms a a", having the outwardlybent ends a7 a7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The chain I) has the ring b on its upper end and the ring b2 on its lower end, as shown in Fig. 1. The fastener c consists of the back c', shaped to form the hook c2 on its lower end and the hinge-knuckles c3 c3 on its upper end, the operating-lever c, shaped to form the hinge-pintles c5 c5 and c c, and the hole c7 for securing the operating-lever c4 to the chain l) by the ring b2, and the fastenin -arm as, shaped to form the inwardly-bent ower end c and the hinge-knuckles 01 61 on its upper end, as shown in-Figs. 4 and 5. The back c', the operating-lever c, and the fastening-arm o8 are all stamped from sheet metal andv assembled by forming the hingeknuckles c3 c3 on the backc around the pintles c5 c5 on the operating-lever c4 and the hinge-knuckles 01 c1 on the fastening-arm cS around the pintles c6 c6 on the operatinglever c4, pivotally securing the back c and the fastening-arm e8 to the operating-lever c4, as shown in the drawings.

In the use of my improved skirt-supporter the hook attachment a is hooked over the belt e or the waistband of the skirt d. The inwardly-bent arms a6 a press on the outside ofthe belt and firmly hold the at'- tachment to the belt by friction. The fastener c is now secured vto the skirt d by placing a fold of the skirt over the hook end c2 and bringing the inwardly-bent end o9 of the fastening-arm c8 against the fold of the skirt. The chain b is then pulled upward through the attachment a to raise the skirt to the height desired. This carries the upper end of the operatingarm c4 upward and the lower end of the fastening -arm downward, thereby forcing the fold of the skirt by the fastening-arm into the hook end c2, as shown in Fig. 1. The Weight of the skirt holds the fastener in the closed position. The height of the skirt may be adjusted at any time by pulling the upper end of the chain 'b through the hole aAL in the hook attachment a and held in the adjusted position by dropping a link of the chain b into the slot a5. The lips forming the slot a5 passing between the two adjacent links of the chain lock the chain to the attachment.

By the novel construction of my improved skirt-supporter the operations of securing the supporter to a skirt and adjusting the height of the skirt are simplified and a more perfect and durable skirt supporter constructed than has heretofore been done.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a skirt-supporter, the combination of the hook attachment a bent approximately U-shaped to form the back a', and the front a2 having the central arm a3 in which is the circular hole a4 and the slot a5, and the in- Wardly-bent arms aG a with the outWard1ybent ends a7 a7, the chain b having the rings CHARLES P. KEELER.

Witnesses J. A. MILLER, Jr., ADA E. HAGERTY. 

